Midwest Silicon Valley: Columbus tops list of internet powerhouses

Columbus is known for many things, but most recently, we’ve taken center stage for being a savvy internet metropolis. According to a new study, Columbus is one of four cities considered to be a “punch above” its weight in the internet sector.

The Internet Association and National League of Cities looked at data from 382 metro areas around the U.S. and found while most cities have about 600 internet business and 9,000 internet-sector jobs, Columbus more than doubles those metrics with 1,500 internet businesses and 25,400 internet-sector jobs.

Like many of Columbus’ recent achievements, the study cities our Smart City award, a $50 million in federal grant to fund the latest in transportation solutions, as a catalyst for being placed in the top four. Here’s what else the study had to say about Columbus’ environment, per Govtech:

“The city has long since diversified its economy, implemented a thoughtful business approach and capitalized on its local institutions to build a well-trained workforce. Serving as the state capital of Ohio and as the home of a major flagship university, it enjoys a robust local economy, but has not rested on its laurels — the city ranks highly in terms of educational attainment for U.S. metro areas and is quickly gaining a reputation for culture, amenities and tech.”

For some central Ohioans including Tom Walker, president and CEO of Rev1 Ventures, this came as no surprise. The future looks bright for the venture-capital, business-incubator organization and for many others entering the local internet business industry.

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